Can't Wake Up

[munchit1027]

I have had these dreams where when I try to get away by waking up, I can't get my eyes open. it feels like someting was holding me down and not letting me wake up. Unfortunately, I can never remember the dream, only that it was intense. Has that happened to anyone else?

[ItsKristaOmgosh]

This has happened to me too..Once I fell asleep with my tv on and began dreaming but I can't remember what about and when I tried to wake up it was like my mind woke up but my body didn't. I could hear my tv but I couldn't open my eyes or move. I have no idea what that means or why it happens but I just thought I would let you know you're not alone out there. This has happened to my mother and my best friend as well and none of us know why..

[Wolfjk]

Originally Posted by munchit1027

I have had these dreams where when I try to get away by waking up, I can't get my eyes open. it feels like someting was holding me down and not letting me wake up. Unfortunately, I can never remember the dream, only that it was intense. Has that happened to anyone else?

Hi,
Relax! it is quite common. The dream happens when you have to wake up for some reason - usally sleeping, or going to sleep in a bad position. Often happens when the person falls asleep sitting up, or just having a nap. Sleeping on ones back or belly can also cause dreams like this.
The dream is actually frightening you awake by the idea that you can't move. You start to struggle and make a conscious effort to wake up. It is a mechanical device - like an alarm clock.
Cheers Wolfjk

[beefragafragious]

Because of this happening so much to me that it became a problem. I had to study and find out how to stop it. Turns out, when you sleep, your brain secretes this chemical that basically tells your body to stop moving. It's what keeps you from thrashing around in your sleep. People who sleepwalk and talk in there sleep and stuff don't have enough of this chemical secretion. So basically, your waking up, but your brain kind of forgets to stop secreting this chemical.

Everyone with this weird problem has there own way of telling there brain to snap out of it. Mine is actually "wiggle your big toe". There is no treatment for this because there is such a minority of people with it, and its not really life threatning. Except maybe a housefire or somthing. Anyway, thats what it is. All you can do is find your own way of "snapping your brain out of it". I hope this helps.

[monica w]

I HAD THIS DREAM ND LIKE I REMEMBER BUT LIKE WHEN I GOT INTO IT LIKE I TRIED WAKING UP BUT I COULDNT ND I COULDNT MOVE BUT WHEN I DID WAKE UP LIKE I FELT LIKE IF SOMETHING WAS TAKING MY BREATHING AIR AWAY BECAUSE I COULDNT BREATH AND I DONT KNW WHAT IT MEANS CAN SOMENE HELP ME>PLZ...

[ineedjesus63]

Usually I am trying to wake up and cannot breathe, like something is pressing on my chest. Once I do wake up, I feel anxious and out of breath. I am a light sleeper sometimes and am asleep but can hear things going on around me (the TV, voices of family members, and sometimes I even hear myself snoring (my allergies are BAD right now). WEIRD!
Lynn

[ioriyagami]

Happens to me often, like once a few weeks? I usually try to wake up by trying to get up or try very hard to move legs and hands, always works. I'm so used to it that i get up breathing smoothly like nothing happened and sleep again. One time i tried experimenting by trying not to wake up. But for some reason some scary force, that i can't describe, made me really want to wake up.

[marymary11]

what kind of scary force? I've had several dreams of not being able to wake up, and for whatever reason in these dreams I start to pray frantically for Jesus to help and protect me and my children. All I want to do is wake out of this terrible nightmare and can't. Usually I am napping on the couch while my daughter is asleep and my fiance is at work. In my dream I am doing exactly what I am really doing - sleeping on the couch - but in my dream I will hear something to pull me out of my dream like a someone entering my home or a door creaking and I try to wake but can't, then suddenly I start to pray, fearful of what is trying to keep me asleep. Once I dreamt that I got off of the couch, walked to the bathroom and was splashing cold water on my face trying to come out of my sleep and some creepy force was pushing my hair (which in my dream was like hay or a straw type broom) back down to cover my eyes very forcefully, like a slap, so I couldn't wake or see completely. Very scary. Also, I've heard a mans voice in my dreams, mostly I thought it was my fiance, but as I tried so hard to follow it, it turned into a very faint "spooky" voice at the end. HELP! I'm not crazy!!!! But this feels crazy!

[Wolfjk]

Originally Posted by marymary11

what kind of scary force? I've had several dreams of not being able to wake up, and for whatever reason in these dreams I start to pray frantically for Jesus to help and protect me and my children. All I want to do is wake out of this terrible nightmare and can't. Usually I am napping on the couch while my daughter is asleep and my fiance is at work. In my dream I am doing exactly what I am really doing - sleeping on the couch - but in my dream I will hear something to pull me out of my dream like a someone entering my home or a door creaking and I try to wake but can't, then suddenly I start to pray, fearful of what is trying to keep me asleep. Once I dreamt that I got off of the couch, walked to the bathroom and was splashing cold water on my face trying to come out of my sleep and some creepy force was pushing my hair (which in my dream was like hay or a straw type broom) back down to cover my eyes very forcefully, like a slap, so I couldn't wake or see completely. Very scary. Also, I've heard a mans voice in my dreams, mostly I thought it was my fiance, but as I tried so hard to follow it, it turned into a very faint "spooky" voice at the end. HELP! I'm not crazy!!!! But this feels crazy!

Hi Mary,
There is nothing worse for bad dreams than a nap. You go to sleep sitting up, your head slouches forward and your breathing becomes difficult. Apart from this you go to sleep with the responsibility of waking up soon. Any one of these conditions can give you nightmares, but the two conditions together:

I am napping on the couch while my daughter is asleepand my fiance is at work.

make the nightmare even worse.
The dreams (voices, ghostly figures, not being able to move, and someone holding you down) are there to frighten you awake. Your subconscious deliberatly creates the dream to wake you. The dream - be it ever so bad - is actually helping you to look after your daughter, to look after your own health and wake up from the nap.
Cheers Wolfjk

[OngDia]

On many occassion, I had this problem. I have search many websites from science, to psych to the super natural.

I have read a lot and this is a short explaination without going into boring lectures. This is my conclusion that coincide with most of the replies above...

When you go to sleep, your body shuts down first, then your brain will be put to "sleep mode." However, the brain does not completely shut down the hearing, touch, and some other senses. This is common for the emergency "Fight or Flight" scenario in all animals.

When you can't move, your brain has not decided whether to continue sleeping or wake the body from the sleep. Hence, you are fully cognitive and realize you can't move.

My solution is this....
1) Just relax the body. When the tingly sensation subside, jolt the arm real hard to wake up.
2) I realize that my body is in this state and simply go back to sleep.
3) Last but not least, try to get a habit of sleep with some normal schedule so the brain knows that it is time to sleep.

I can honestly say that my problem is solved !!!!!!